Method and apparatus for repairing railway track



Feb.. 9, 1937. w. P. DAY 2,070,260

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REPAIRING RAILWAY TRACK Filed sept. 1s, 1935 2Sgam-sheet 1 M NKWNOWQWN MM ATTORNEY.

Feb. 9, i937. 2,070,260

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REPAIRING RAILWAY TRACK W. P. DAY

Filed Sept. 13, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ENTOR.

K? MW,

Patented Feb. 9, 1937 Unirse STATES PATENT GFFIQE METHOD AND APPARATUSFOR`REPAIRING RAILWAY TRACK Application september 1s, 1935,seria1N0.40,462

12 Claims.

This invention relates to a method of repairing and leveling railwaytrack and to a machine for practicing the method.

It is a well known fact that the ties of a railway track becomecenter-bound, that is to say the stone or ballast supporting the tiessettles and moves away from the ends of the ties, leaving the tiessupported principally in the center. The movement of trains or heavyloads over such a track tends to displace the ties and to move the railsout cf proper alignment. This fact has been recognized for a long timeand it has been quite expensive to keep the track in proper repair. v

I have devised a method and apparatus for treating or repairing railwaytrack which has become defective for reasons hereinbefore mentionedwhich will elfectively replace the ballast or loose stone or othermaterial which has settled or moved away from the ends of the ties. Myimproved method consists essentially in depositing about the ties a massof ballast, loose stone, grout, or other suitable material and thenapplying rapid and violent vibrations to the central portions of theties for a surcient period of time to cause the loose stone or othermaterial to move under the ends of the ties and to support them in theproper position.

One of the main objects of the invention is to provide a method andapparatus for repairing or leveling railway track which will electivelylevel the ties and rails and which can be practiced with a minimumamount of labor and equipment.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and dependablemachine or vibrator which may be readily attached to and removed fromthe ties and which will practice the meth od hereinbefore describe-d.

Further and more limited objectsof the invention will appear as thedescription proceeds and by reference to the accompanying drawings inwhich Fig. l is a sectional View showing my vibrating unit attached to arailroad tie; Fig. 2 is Va horizontalsectional view `on the line 2--2 ofFig. l; Fig. 3 is an end view of thevibrating unit as seen from theright in Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a detail View of one of the locking dogs.

It is` quite easy for a practicedworkman to de* termine the condition ofa railroad track and whether the rails are misaligned by a more or lesscasual inspection of the ties and rails. When ,the ties becomecenter-bound, one of therails is p `usually higher or lower than theother. .This .is

`because of the fact that the ballast, stone or other materialsupporting the ties has settled or moved away from the ends of the ties.Heretofore, it has been quite difficult to replace this ballast or loosestone beneath the ties and it Vfrequently is necessary to remove thewhole tie and provide a new foundation therefor. According to my methodthe workman quickly sees that a tie is center-bound or that the ballastor stone has moved away from the ends thereof. The workman then elevatesone or both ends of the tie until the opposite rails are level, thisbeing done by means of a jack or by means of a suitable wedge,.depending upon the condition of the track. A suitable amount of loosestone, ballast, grout or other suitable material is then depositedadjacent one or both ends of the ties. The vibrating unit is thensecured preferably to the central portion of the tie and operated toimpart Very rapid and violent vibrations to the tie. This vibration ofthe tie causes the loose stone, ballast, grout or other material to moveunder the tie for the reason that the stone tends to move toward thepart being vibrated. This operation is repeated on the adjacent ties oron any tie that has become center-bound or otherwise dislodged.

In Fig. l I have disclosed a sectional view of three wooden railroadties which are identified by the reference characters l, 2 and 3. Theseties are supported on a stone foundation and secured thereto are a pairof rails, one of which is shown in the drawings. The reference character4 designates generally the vibrating unit which will be described indetail hereinafter'. This vibrating unit is secured to the centralportion of a tie and is operate-d preferably by means of an electricmotor although when desired a different type of motor may be used. Thethree ties have been leveled by means of wedges 5, E and l, shown indotted lines. It is of course to be understood that a suitable jack maybe used instead of wedges. The vibrator is secured to the tie after ithas been leveled. In Fig. 1 the tie I has already been vibrated and theloose stone, ballast, grout or other material has been caused to moveunder the tie to properly support it. The loose stone, ballast, grout orother material is preferably deposited adjacent the end or ends of thetie before the vibrator is started. This material may be loose ballast,dry stone, slag screenings, grout or any other suitable material. Incase grout is used, it should have suffis cient water to render itflowable or workable. If desired, this material which" is to be movedunder the tie may contain some suitable material which will act as apreservative for a wooden tie or it may contain material which wouldtend to repel water. It is of course to be understood that in many casesit may be necessary to vibrate only a few of the ties which have becomedisplaced or center-bound. The amount of vibration applied to any tiedepends largely upon the condition of the track and the tie. In somecases it may be desirable to entirely replace a tie which has becomedefective, in which case the vibrator unit may be used successfully tocause the ballast or other supporting material to move under the tie. Mymethod and apparatus is intende-d and adapted for use on both steel andwooden ties.

Referring now to the drawings, I will now describe in detail my improvedvibrating unit. However, it is to be understood that the particular formof vibrating unit herein disclosed is not necessary to successfullypractice my method as other forms of vibrators of course may be used.The particular unit disclosed consists essentially of a base plate ilpreferably formed of metal and to which is secured a pair of baselblocks or supports 9 and I which are preferably formed of a pair ofchannels secured together and which are shaped in section, as shown mostclearly in Fig. 3. Disposed at one side of the base plate is a lockingclamp II which is pivotally mounted as shown at I2. The lower end of thelocking clamp is shaped to provide a nose portion the surface of whichis serrated so as to enable it to more rmly grip a wooden tie. The upperend of the locking clamp II is bifurcated and pivotally mounted thereinis a member I 4 having a threaded opening therein and through whichextends a threaded pin or screw I5 the inner end of which is rotatablyconnected with an upstanding portion provided on the base plate. Theouter end of the pin I5 is shaped to provide a tool engaging portion Iby means of which the pin may be actuated through the medium of asuitable tool. Adjustably mounted in each of the base blocks 5 and IIlare a pair of locking jaws or dogs Il' and IS which are movable alongthe base blocks and one of which is shown in detail in Fig. 4. Each orthe base blocks is provided with an upper and a lower row of openingsindicated by the reference characters I9 and 20, the openings in thelower row being disposed substantially midway of the openings in theupper row. Each of the locking jaws is also provided with a double rowof openings 2| and 22 which are arranged in substantially the samemanner. The jaws II and I8 are adjustably secured within the base blocksby means of pins 23 and 24 which extend through the openings in the baseblocks and also through the openings in the locking jaws so that thelocking jaws may be adjusted and secured in the desired position withrespect to the base blocks 9 and I Carried by the base plate are a pairof bearing blocks 25 and 2S which are secured thereto in any suitablemanner and in which is rotatably mounted a shaft 2'! to the outer end ofwhich is secured a pulley 28. The bearing blocks 25 and 26 are providedwith circular flanges 29 and 30. Disposed between the anges 29 and 30and non-rotatably secured to the shaft 21 is an eccentrically mountedweight 3l which is preferably adjustable with respect to the shaft sothat the weight may be moved radially with respect to the shaft.

Carried by the base blocks 9 and Il) and secured thereto in any suitablemanner are four plates 33, 34, 35 and 36 which receive and supportshackle bolts 3l, 38, 39 and 4i). Secured to the shackle bolts 36 and3l' and extending upwardly therefrom is a spring member il which ispreferably made up of a plurality of sections or leaves. Secured to theshackle bolts S8 and E@ is a spring member l2 which is also preferablymade up of a plurality of sections or leaves. t will be Seen that thesespring members 4I and G2 are pivotally secured to the shackle bolts attheir lower ends. Secured to the upper portions of the spring members 6Iand G2 is a motor supporting plate 43 which is held in place by means ofbolts lili which extend through the spring members 4I and 42.Surrounding the bolts id are sleeves i5 which receive thereon the motorsupporting plate which is secured against displacement by means of nuts36. Carried by the motor supporting plate is an electric motor Iii fromwhich projects a shaft 58 which carries a pulley 59. Extending about themotor are a pair of bands 50 and 5i which are provided with flanges and53 which are secured to the motor supporting plate by means of suitablebolts 55s and Connecting the pulleys 23 and it are a pair of flexiblebelts 55 and 57. Also carried by the motor supporting plate is a handle58 by means of which the vibrating unit may be moved and which issecured thereto in any suitable manner. Suitable electrical connectionsare provided for connecting the electric motor with a source of cua'-rent supply and it is to be understood that such connections include aswitch or circuit breaker for controlling the motor.

It will now be clear that the shaft El cperated from the motor shaft 28through the medium of the iieXible belts 56 and 5?. The motor issupported on the spring members i and 42 and the vibrations of theeccentric weight are not transmitted to the motor. The motor ispreferably an electric motor which may be operated at a speed of from2400 to 3000 revolutions per minute. When the motor is operated, theeccentrically mounted weight SI on the shaft 28 serves to impart rapidand violent vibrations to the ties. It is of course to be understoodthat I may make use of a motor of the internal combustion engine type,if desired.

When the vibrating unit is applied to a tie, it is placed upon the tiein about the position shown in Fig. l. The locking dogs Vi and ES aremoved into engagement with the tie and secured in place by means of thepins 23 and A suitable tool is then applied to the portion of the screwI5 and the locking clamp ii moved into firm gripping engagement with thetie. It will therefore be clear that the vibrating unit is rrnly andrigidly secured to the central portion of the tie. The vibrationsimparted to the tie will cause the loose ballast, stone, grout or othermaterial to flow or move beneath the tie. It is also to be understoodthat my vibrating unit may be applied to either wooden or metal ties.

It will now be clear that I have provided a method of repairing orleveling railway track and an apparatus for practicing the method whichwill accomplish the objects of the invention as hereinbefore stated. Itis also to be understood that the embodiment of the invention hereindisclosed is merely illustrative and is not to be considered in alimiting sense as the invention is limited only in accordance with thescope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The method of leveling railway track which consists in elevating theends of the ties on which the rails are supported, placing loose stoneadjacent the ends of the ties and applying rapid and violent vibrationsdirectly to the ties to cause the loose stone to mo-ve under theelevated ends of the ties.V

2. The method of leveling railway track which consists in raising theends of the ties until the track is level, depositing loose stone orgrout adjacent the ends of the ties and applying rapid and violentvibrations directly to the ties intermediate the ends thereof to causethe loose stone or grout to move under the elevated ends of the ties.

3. The method ofv leveling railway track in which the rails aresupported upon ties, which consists in adjusting the positions of theends or the ties until the track is level, then depositing loose stoneor the like adjacent the ends of the ties and applying vibrations to thecentral portions of the ties.

4. The method of repairing railway track in which the rails have becomemisaligned because of displacement of the supporting ties which consistsin elevating the ends of the ties which have become displaced,depositing suitable ballast about the ends of the ties and applyingrapid and violent Vibrations directly to the ties intermediate the endsthereof.

5. An apparatus for repairing railway track comprising a vibrator unit,means for rigidly securing said vibrator unit directly to the ties of arailway track, said vibrator unit including a motor and an eccentricallymounted weight operatively connectedtherewith, and means resilientlysupporting said motor whereby to reduce the amount of Vibration impartedto the motor.

6. A vibrator unit for Vibrating railway ties comprising a base member,adjustable means for rigidly and detachably securing said base memberdirectly to a railway tie intermediate the ends thereof, a motorsupported by said base member and spring means resiliently supportingsaid motor whereby to reduce the amount of vibration imparted thereto.

7. A vibrator unit for vibrating railway ties comprising a base member,means for rigidly securing said base member to a railway tie, a motorsupported by said base member and spring means resiliently supportingsaid motor whereby to reduce the amount of vibration imparted thereto,said securing means including a plurality of clamps adjustably mountedwith respect to the base plate whereby to adapt the unit for attachmentto different size ties.

8. In a Vibrator unit of the character described,

the combination of a base member, adjustably mounted clamping memberscarried by said base member for securing the same to diiferent sizeties, a Shaft rotatably carried by said base member, an eccentric weightcarried by said shaft, a motor carried by said base member andoperatively connected with said shaft, and means resiliently supportingsaid motor with respect to said base plate whereby to reduce the amountof vibration imparted thereto.

9. In a vibrator unit for railway ties, the combination of a basemember, adjustably mounted clamping members carried by said base memberfor securing the same to different size ties, a shaft rotatably mountedon said base member, an eccentric weight carried by said shaft, a motorcarried by said base member and operatively connected with said shaft,means resiliently supporting said motor with respect to said base memberwhereby to reduce the amount of vibration imparted thereto, and meansfor securing said vibrator unit to ties including a plurality ofadjustably mounted clamping members adapted to move into rigidengagement with the ties whereby the unit may be secured to differentwidth ties.

10. An apparatus for vibrating railway ties comprising a base member, ashaft carried by said base member, an eccentrically mounted weightcarried by said shaft, a pair of springs having their opposite endspivotally secured by said base I' member, a motor suspended by saidsprings and operatively connected with said shaft, and means fordetachably securing said apparatus to a railway tie.

11. An apparatus for vibrating railway ties f comprising a base member,a shaft carried by said base member, an eccentrically mounted weightcarried by said shaft, a pair of springs having their opposite endspivotally secured by said base member, a motor suspended by said springsand operatively connected with said shaft, and means for securing saidbase member to a railway tie including a plurality of clamping membersadjustably mounted with respect to said base member.

12. A vibrating unit comprising a base member, a shaft carried by saidbase member, an eccentrically mounted weight carried by said shaft, aplurality of springs having their opposite ends pivotally secured tosaid base member, a motor carried by said springs and operativelyconnected with said shaft, and means for attaching said Vibrating unitto the object to which it is desired to impart vibration.

WILLIAM P. DAY.

